Redcliffe Dolphins Splash into NRL: Will they be the New Premiers?  

NRL season is right around the corner, and with this new season comes the introduction of a new team to the League, the Redcliffe Dolphins. Located in the north of Brisbane, the team looks to expand the NRL in the Sunshine State. With an already well-known presence in the city, it’s safe to say that the team was fit for the League as the 17th Club. 

Founded in 1947, Redcliffe has been a staple in the Queensland Cup with a string of grand final victories; their most recent in 2018. And with their new title as an official NRL team, the scouts took to the search for a batch of talent that would lead them to success.  

But first, the coaching role was to be filled. With expectations of the team in the gutter, many were stunned by the announcement in late 2021 that legendary coach Wayne Bennet would fill the role.  

Now with a respected, successful and cunning new coach at the helm, there was only the players on the field needed. However, progress was slow, the high-end talent from across the league just couldn’t see a reason to go to the new club. An early bid for Queensland Origin star and Melbourne Storm five-eighth, Cameron Munster, was on the table, but after almost 6 months of trudging along the transfer line, he refused the deal from the Dolphins. Other names were also rumoured to be on the Dolphin signing list, including Parramatta eel’s halfback, Mitchell Moses, who has been in contract limbo for months with the Eels, as well as Melbourne Storm Dummy half, Brendon Smith. However, both these player contracts fell through as well and there came a genuine belief amongst analysts, personality, and the NRL community that the Dolphins would not be able to scrape together a premiership contending squad. There were travails and speculations of what the 17th  NRL team would look like, but just last week our prayers were answered…  

To put it lightly, the 2023 Dolphins are not expected to be winning any time soon. 

The club has failed to sign any significant A-tier talent, and as such, fans struggled to find a poster boy for the club. However, the forward line looks like it can perform decently, with the Bromwich Brothers leading the pack, as well as an experienced and healthy backline consisting of Jamayne Isaako and Edrick Lee.  

However, the rest of the team, to put it mildly, is a band of washed-up past-their-prime stars *cough* Anthony Milford *cough*, and a string of young and unexperienced talent who will likely struggle. But, as mentioned before, at the forefront of this all is legend, Wayne Bennet. With almost 35 years of experience in the NRL and 7 premiership wins, out of anyone, he would be the man to life Redcliffe up.   

And hey, this first season cannot be a complete disaster for the Dolphins, as we all know the Gold Coast Titans will finish last on the ladder anyway.